The UNFORUM: A Glimpse into BYU's Culture

The Unforum is an end-of-year event celebrating BYU's students and accomplishments.

Finals are upon us, and the 2023-24 school year is wrapping up. This gives a lot of people an opportunity to reflect, review, and reset. If you’re like me, it will probably go something like this: So what did I actually just do with my life for the past 7ish months? And then you’ll start looking through your photos and social media posts to remember. There is no right or wrong way to do it, but there are numerous benefits of taking a moment to think about experiences, accomplishments, and lessons learned. It helps us move forward with hope and vision to whatever comes next.

Brigham Young University’s way of reflecting and reviewing was the UNFORUM, a show put on during the regular devotional time to highlight the most notable events of student life these past two semesters. Think of it as an end of year assembly, except in the Marriott Center and not your high school auditorium. The show included performances from BYU Vocal Point and Noteworthy, the International Folk Dance Ensemble, Cosmo and the dunk team, Hardly Know Her (the all-girl rock group that won Battle of the Bands in March), and other groups. Fritz-Carl Morlant, the BYUSA President, spoke, as well President Reese. It was a charming, entertaining show that featured a bit of what BYU offers to students as they search for belonging in this sometimes unsettling and stressful phase of life.

In doing so, spectators saw a glimpse of the culture, aims, and values of BYU.

Culture is a way of thinking, shared among a certain group of people. It is normally thought to exist among a large group of people, particularly a nation or ethnicity, but culture can be found on many different levels- team cultures, family cultures, class cultures. Culture is expressed in different ways- through music, dance, sport, language, gender roles, food. The list goes on. The things that a group values and how they spend their time contribute to culture. In this case, universities have a culture, and we cultivate it through the things we do. 

So what did the Unforum say about BYU’s culture?

It told me that here at BYU, we value expression, individualism, and diversity. We value excellence and skill in what we do, whether it be arts, academics, or athletics. We value participation, inclusion, and service. We strive to become like Christ through developing ourselves in all areas of growth I left feeling uplifted and grateful for the year as well as the students around me who are brave enough to not only pursue their passions, but to perform them for others. 

In President Reese’s message, he talked about the light that is in each one of us. No matter the impact we feel like we have or do not have, no matter what we are going through, we each have the capability and opportunity to shine that light and contribute to the university that BYU strives to become.

So what does BYU’s culture look like to you? How do you contribute to it, and how can you keep striving to improve it? Maybe that means getting more involved in a club or your ward. Maybe that means participating in class more often. Maybe it means benefiting from the resources available to students here.

I agree with President Reese when he said that we all have something to share- our own personal culture, even if we feel insignificant. We never know the impact we may have on someone else. So go shine your light and help someone feel loved!